There is nothing like the palette that autumn brings to our senses, as leaves turn from shades of green to a wide array of yellows, gold, orange and red. This spectacular display is due to the interplay of three pigments found in leaves: chlorophyll (green), carotenoids (yellow-orange) and anthocyanin (red).
As temperatures drop, trees stop producing chlorophyll, enabling the other color pigments to shine through. Going for a walk this time of year gives your eyes new colors to feast on every day.
I brought these leaves inside out of the chill to enjoy painting them. All this color means the chlorophyll in the leaves has been broken down into nitrogen, sugars and starches and moved to storage cells in the twigs in preparation for winter. Isn't that facinating?
Beautiful! Your fall leaves are just as exciting as vibrant wild flowers.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Elva. I had to really search for some color when I found that maple leaf. We have just had our first cold nights this week that were near freezing (33F) and below (28F) and now our colors are starting to pop!
DeleteDelicious, Vickie! LOVE the color.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cathy!
DeleteThanks for the inspiration - I painted some leaves like these tonight. They were so fun to do and very relaxing to watch the colours blend.
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